Sandy Springs' North End Finally Has Its Own Fall Calendar

"The Thursday Night Market provides a convenient opportunity for the community to shop local in a relaxed evening atmosphere." The city wrote that line in August, when it announced three evening farmers markets at River Springs Shopping Center. Rough Draft Atlanta reported the reason more plainly. The markets were scheduled in response to North End residents asking for more city programming and investment outside the downtown City Springs district.

That request now shows up as a calendar. Between now and the first Thursday in November, the north end of the city has its own markets, a renovated dog park, river programming at Morgan Falls, and new restaurants on Roswell Road. The anchors sit at two points: River Springs on Roswell Road and Morgan Falls on the Chattahoochee. A trail project now being designed would connect them.

River Springs Became the Meeting Point

The Sandy Springs Night Market sets up at River Springs Shopping Center, 8610 Roswell Road. The center is just north of Hightower Trail on the west side of the road, behind Sandy Springs Diner and Christian Brothers Automotive. More than 30 farmers, food producers, artisans and specialty vendors take part. The market runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of September, October and November. The September and October markets have already happened. The last one this season is Thursday, November 5.

The city calls the Night Market an extension of the Saturday morning market at City Springs into an after-work shopping trip. The timing works for anyone whose Saturdays are already full. A North End resident can now shop a city-run market on a weeknight evening without driving to Galambos Way.

The same shopping center also has a new restaurant. Crave Kitchen & Bistro is at 8610 Roswell Road, Suite 140. Its menu mixes Mediterranean, European and American cooking, with pizza, pasta, kebabs and shawarma. A business listing updated on March 27, 2026 reported that the restaurant had recently opened. That means dinner on November 5 doesn't require moving the car.

A short way south, Arabian Cafe & Cocktails held its grand opening celebration on July 24 at 8347 Roswell Road NE. The AJC listed it among Atlanta's July openings and described it as a Middle Eastern restaurant, bar and hookah lounge. Together with Crave, it gives this stretch of Roswell Road two new places to sit down this year, both within reach of the market.

Down Morgan Falls Road, the River Gets Its Own Dates

The second anchor is on the river. Morgan Falls Dog Park, at 100 Morgan Falls Road, finished its renovation ahead of schedule. The city will hold a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, October 14 at 2 p.m. Yeager, a Sandy Springs Police Department K-9, is billed as the official inspector.

The upgrades fix specific problems. After community input, the work started with grading a drainage channel to keep the play areas dry. The 3.4-acre park still has two fenced areas, one for small dogs and one for large dogs, overlooking the Chattahoochee. New additions include:

• Shade structures and benches
• Picnic tables
• Waste and wash stations
• Drinking fountains
• Boulders for dogs to climb and look out from

The opening date is a little unclear. Rough Draft expected the park to open in early October, while the city's notice gives only the October 14 ceremony. If you plan a first visit before the ribbon cutting, check the city's park page for that day's status.

Next door, Morgan Falls Overlook Park has two dated events this month. Catalyst Sports runs an adaptive kayaking session on Saturday, October 10 at 10 a.m. The city lists the cost as $10. The park's floating dock is the existing public launch for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. On Saturday, October 17 at 8 a.m., Birds Georgia leads a free field trip around Morgan Falls Overlook Park and the dam. The group meets in the Overlook Park parking lot at 200 Morgan Falls Road.

The Trail That Would Connect Both Ends

The Springway already links the river and the road. A 1.88-mile segment from Morgan Falls Overlook Park to Roswell Road opened in spring 2025. The next piece, Segment 2C, is the one that would make the North End feel like one connected place.

Segment 2C is a proposed 1.6-mile extension. It would start at Morgan Falls Overlook Park and run east along a Chattahoochee tributary, through mature forest and past rock outcroppings and waterfalls, before reaching Roswell Road. It would connect to Adair Lane and continue to Grogan's Ferry Road, passing near Grogan's Bluff, a 126-acre protected neighborhood. When finished, it would lengthen the Morgan Falls Loop from 1.8 miles to about 3.4 miles, part of a longer plan for a continuous 5.6-mile loop around the park.

The design is moving forward, and the funding has not caught up. In early 2025, the city applied for a Georgia Department of Natural Resources grant to cover half of the estimated $13.9 million construction cost. That grant was later rescinded amid federal budget cuts. The city has set aside $5 million in its capital budget as a local match. As of the Sandy Springs Conservancy's August newsletter, the design was 60% complete, with geotechnical preparation and right-of-way coordination underway. City Council was expected to consider a new grant application on Tuesday, October 6. There is no construction start date or completion date yet.

The Conservancy pitched the project at the August 29 Farmers Market Family Fun Day at City Springs, where executive director John Maximuk made the case for it. The nonprofit works with city staff, the PATH Foundation and the design firm Kaizen Collaborative, and it has asked supporters to contact their council members.

The North End Calendar Through November 5

Where City Springs Fits Into the Same Weeks

Downtown still has the biggest events, and several fall on the same days as the North End dates. The overlap on October 17 is the easiest to plan around. The Birds Georgia walk starts at 8 a.m. at Morgan Falls, and the city's free third annual OktoberFEAST opens at City Springs at 3 p.m. It runs 3 to 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, with pretzels and beer cheese, German sausages, schnitzel, spätzle, Glühwein and The Swinging Bavarians on stage.

The Saturday Sandy Springs Farmers Market at 1 Galambos Way runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Its schedule currently lists dates through November 21. That is the last date shown, though the city hasn't called it the season finale. Sundown Social takes over City Green Plaza from 6 to 8 p.m. with three shows. Trey Boyer, Mike Rizzi and Sean McIntyre play October 8, The Dianas play October 15, and B&B Harmony plays October 22. Movies by Moonlight shows Hocus Pocus on Friday, October 9. Spooky Springs, a free event with trick-or-treat stations, face painting, music and food vendors, starts at 5 p.m. on October 24 at Abernathy Greenway Playable Art Park.

Downtown also has a newer place for coffee. Summit Coffee opened in July on the bottom floor of the historic Williams-Payne House, 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, behind Heritage Green. Guests can take their coffee out to the spring, the two gazebos or the lawn. Co-owner Adam Cook told Appen Media that three of the five couples who invested in the shop live in Sandy Springs.

What Comes After November 5

The Night Market was scheduled as a three-date run, and the November market is the last of the three. The next North End project with public space is farther up Roswell Road. North River Shopping Center, at 8830 Roswell Road, is slated for a mixed-use redevelopment with homes, shops, restaurants and a 0.71-acre public park. The city expects construction to begin later this year once the property is acquired and development conditions are met. Until then, the North End's public calendar depends on three things: the River Springs market, the Morgan Falls parks, and whether the October 6 grant application moves Segment 2C from design toward construction.

If the October 6 grant vote or the North River plans have you thinking about what a stronger North End means for your property, Brandi Lewis and the Brandi Hunter Luxury Group follow these projects closely and can walk you through them in a private conversation. Let's connect. Schedule a confidential consultation.